"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane."

(From the pop philosopher, James Buffet.)

When it rains, it pours. Or something's in retrograde, as Badger and Blackbird would say.

I'm feeling a little Job-ish (That's as in the guy in the Bible who lost everything) and I really don't have any power over the rain that has started to pour on our lives. (And I don't want to compromise my privacy on this. So just know that more than a lot of bird crap has landed.)

So I called Marian, told her what happened, and then at one point, after I was all wrung out, I said, and you know what, my dad didn't know today was Talk Like a Pirate Day! He had dinner with my sister, and he didn't know that today was TLAP Day! And Marian bust out laughing at the mental image of my sister saying, "ah, matey, pass me the salt or you'll walk the plank" and my dad still not getting it. Which made me bust out laughing.

Then we discussed driving to the West End (which we will be doing separately tomorrow for Focus Groups on computer replacements. She goes at 9, I go at 11. Another librarian from our library goes at 1pm.) The building we're going to is on Wabash St. on the West End. So I told Marian that when I was doublechecking the MapQuest route, I punched in 22 Wabash St, Pittsburgh. Wouldn't you know there is a Wabash Street in Pittsburgh, North Dakota? It would take me 18 hours to get there--and we bust out laughing again.

Go hug someone. We live in a messed up world with tons of things we can't control. But if we can find something to laugh about, our pain is lessened for a short while.

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If you can't hug someone, go visit Blackbird, whose pictures of Positano are breathtaking and at once very Blackbird. Or visit Paula's photo blog "Finding Beauty" whose titles make me laugh. These beautiful yet tough ladies have a lot to teach this gal about fortitude in the face of disaster.